“ZsaZsa Zaturnnah” heads to France’s Annecy Film Festival

The Filipino animated film “ZsaZsa Zaturnnah” has been selected for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France, marking a milestone for Philippine animation on the global stage.

The 2D queer story originates from the Filipino graphic novel written by Carlo Vergara, “Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah” — “The Spectacular Adventures of Zsazsa Zaturnnah.” First released in the Philippines in 2002, it has since been adapted into a live-action film in 2005 and a long-running stage musical.

Carlo wrote and illustrated the original graphic novel in 2002. Beyond comics, he has art-directed magazines, written television episodes and plays, performed on stage, and continued producing various creative works.

The plot follows the main character, Ada, a shy gay hairdresser in a small town in the Philippines. After enduring too many heartbreaks, he resigns himself to a single life while working in a salon.

His best friend, Didi, works alongside him. Even though business is slow, their days are brightened by the presence of a handsome man named Dodong, who lives across the street.

One night, a mysterious stone falls from the sky and crashes into Ada’s bathroom. Didi convinces Ada to swallow it, and Ada is suddenly transformed into a fabulous woman with super strength.

Didi names her Zsazsa Zaturnnah and imagines they could make a fortune in show business with her newfound beauty and powers.

Their hometown then becomes a magnet for the strange and supernatural, as they battle a monstrous frog, a giant squid, a swarm of zombies, and the primary antagonists, the fashionable Amazonistas from Planet X.

As the chaos unfolds, Ada must decide whether this superhero identity is a blessing or a curse, while navigating life choices involving love and a sense of self.

The animation embraces a distinct 2D style, emphasizing a stylized world rich in color and dimension. Its visual approach highlights depth by creating a vibrant yet mysterious atmosphere that mirrors the film’s characters and themes.

Directed by Avid Liongoren and co-produced by Rocketsheep Studio and CreaZion Studios Inc., the film’s selection signals a major step forward for Philippine animation internationally.

Rocketsheep Studio is an indie animation studio in the Philippines made up of talented artists who often balance commercial work — such as advertising and music videos — with creating original films. Despite limited resources, they have produced several short films and, so far, two feature films.

Their first feature film, “Saving Sally” in 2016, took 12 years to complete due to inexperience and limited funding. Despite this, it achieved a theatrical run in the Philippines and won the Jury Prize at Belgium’s BIFFF, Portugal’s Fantasporto and South Korea’s SICAF, among other awards.

However, the team noted that financial returns were limited, highlighting the challenge of distributing films.

The team’s second feature, “Hayop Ka!” in 2020, was completed in under four years and had a more structured festival and distribution plan. It competed at the Annecy Film Festival and was later acquired by Netflix for streaming across Asia after its release during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The team remains committed to creating more animated films.

“Birthing a film into the world is terrifying. Our team has worked so hard the past six years, and our work (‘Zsazsa Zaturnnah’) will be judged in one sitting. Making a queer superhero film sounds fun until you realize that it is so niche that no business entities would be willing to back it. But we kept working despite the countless rejections, and we slowly gained support from really kind folks,” Liongoren shared in a Facebook post about the emotional journey behind their upcoming film.

Liongoren is known for work spanning animation and live-action directing.

With the film’s international milestone, “Zsazsa Zaturnnah” aims to blend humor, spectacle and bold LGBTQ+ representation while reimagining a beloved Filipino cultural icon through the animated lens.

The filmmakers and producers also stressed that while LGBTQ+ representation has progressed in recent years, it continues to face censorship in parts of the world. Through this film, they hope to present a local story with universal themes of identity, transformation and heroism.

Anter “RJ” San Agustin, CEO of CreaZion Studios, believes the film also reflects the company’s mission to bring Filipino stories to the global stage.

“‘ZsaZsa Zaturnnah’ represents exactly the kind of storytelling we believe in — bold, original and proudly Filipino. Its journey to Annecy proves that our stories can resonate far beyond our borders, and this is only the beginning of building Filipino IP for the global stage,” he said.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is scheduled to take place from June 21 to 27.